"The said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; there shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:35
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one that is God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and they mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall them that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said who then can be saved? (Realize what we are about to read is hinged to verse 26) And he said the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:18
Let me give you a brief summary of what these passages say. In Luke 1 we find the words that I read addressing what I would identify as 2 humanly impossible situations.
On the first hand we the humanly impossible situation of what we now call the virgin birth. Here the picture is drawn of a woman, who has known no man, but she is going to bring forth a child and that child shall be called Jesus. And this ability, of which humanly she is inescapable on her own, is going to be made possible because she is going to be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost. This involvement of a supernatural source now takes what is called an impossible situation and makes it possible, because human inability is merged with the supernatural ability of all mighty God.
Now in verse 36 we find another humanly impossible situation. The scripture identifies another woman by the name of Elizabeth Mary’s cousin. And it says of Elizabeth that she is 6 months with child. And the statement says of Elizabeth that she is now of an old age. The implication is that she is passed the flower of her age, the childbearing years. And then it goes on to remind us that Elizabeth is not only passed the flower of her age, and into the realm of life span where she shouldn’t have the human ability to bear children, but the notation is made of Elizabeth that she is a woman defined as barren even during her child bearing years. That she had the inability to bear children even during her prime child bearing years. And in verse 36, that this one who is in the latter part of her life, past her child bearing years is now 6 months with child. Without even saying it there’s this question lingering all the way back from verse 34. It’s the question that Mary asked how can this thing be, seeing I have not known a man. Humanly it’s impossible for Mary to bear a child, and humanly it’s impossible for Elizabeth to bear children. So explain to me how that which we are humanly inescapable of becomes reality. And the concluding statement comes in verse 37 by the angel of the Lord. WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
“Man’s inability is always superseded by God’s natural ability.”
When man cannot accomplish something it doesn’t mean that God is inescapable of accomplishing something.
When man’s hands are tied it doesn’t mean that Gods hands are tied.
When man’s time frame has expired, it doesn’t mean that’s God’s time frame has expired.
When man finds himself unable to calculate the ability for a miraculous conception to occur, God stands in the wings and says ‘you don’t understand, I’m the God who took absolutely nothing and made everything out of it. I’m the God that took earth and formed it, and then breathed into the nostrils of a figure that I designed and by breathing into it, this figure becomes a living soul to which we now identify as mankind. And to that which is impossible with man I take from the side of Adam a rib and bring to him a companion that she should walk with him on the journey of life, and be by his side that he not be alone.’
God is saying throughout the word of God, your human inability, the limitations of humanity, do not put a limitation on God. Just because we can’t figure it out doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have the ability to resolve the problems of our life. Just because we can’t see where it comes from doesn’t mean that God is confused or has the inability to bring about an answer. Just because we can’t figure out the complexity’s of our lives doesn’t mean that God sits in a position of confusion or perplexity. And here we hear the words of the angel declare with such strong assurance "WITH GOD NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE."
Jesus himself could only reinforce this theme when He takes on this subject in Luke 18. Let me show you how these two subjects blend together. The subject is now salvation. A rich young ruler says how can I inherit eternal life. And Jesus says obey the commandments and do them. The man says I know them and have done them all of my life. And Jesus says but there’s one thing you lack. He’s hanging on to his human ability. He defines his resources as the source of his strength and his ability to maneuver in life. He puts his confidence in riches rather than in God. He says I have wealth I can pay my way. If I’m sick I’ll buy myself a doctor, I’ll find me a cure. I’ll pay my way through life. If I’m hungry I’ll go to the market and I’ll use my riches and I’ll buy me something to eat. What ever I have need of I have the resources in which I can address my own needs.
And Jesus says although you have obeyed all the commandments there’s a flaw in your life. And that flaw is you’re an independent operator. And you think yourself as self-sufficient. You think that you’re the answer to all of your problems. And until you see that you can’t save yourself there’s nothing I can do for you. But the day your discover that you can’t save your own soul, that you can’t buy your way into heaven, you can’t redeem yourself by the wealth of this world. You don’t have the answer; you don’t have the resources to buy eternal life. The sooner you realize that the sooner you can be saved.
And so he says to the rich young ruler. One thing you lack. In other words you lack a dependency upon God. You’re still trusting in your resources and abilities. He says to him if you want to inherit eternal life, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and become completely and utterly dependent upon God. To which the word declares that this rich young ruler was sorrowful because he was extremely rich. I suppose if he had only $10 he would have gladly parted with it, but because multitudes of riches have come into his life, he finds it hard to part with the assets he know has.
And with sorrowful looks upon his face Jesus now gives us the next phrase. “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Now the people were totally confused. It was of their belief that if a man had riches it meant that he had the blessing or approval of God. They counted the blessing to be a measure of God’s approval. The greater the blessing, the greater the approval God has given upon that man’s life. And when Jesus said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God because he has a tendency to trust in riches as a source of strength. They now say, "Who then can be saved." They don’t understand. If the rich people who they perceive that God has blessed mightily are not getting in, who can? If their not making it, who is. And finally he gives us the words that were lingering to hear. "WITH MEN IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH GOD IT’S NOT AN IMPOSSIBILITY.
Humanly there’s nothing you can do. The only way you can be saved, the only way you’re going to make the kingdom of God is through God’s divine ability reaching into our ability. "For it is by grace that your saved, through faith, not of works let any man should boast, not of ourselves but it is a gift of God.”
We must clearly understand that while we work in faithfulness because we are saved, we can never work to be saved. We can never do enough things to buy our way or to get our way into the kingdom of God. Because to be saved its impossibility with man, but with God it now becomes possible. Because he becomes the ability that enables us to move beyond our limited capacities to gain an inheritance into the kingdom of God. Who can be saved? Jesus answers. People cannot save themselves. With man it’s impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Now look at these situations and pose the question still what is the thread that exists with all three of them. Perhaps to you they still appear to have nothing in common, and yet in each situation I have identified to you a human inability that now made a situation humanly impossible.
Mary can’t conceive without knowing a man.
Elizabeth can’t conceive a child because she was barren in her life span and is now pass the flower of her age.
And rich people or any kind of people cannot be saved because they don’t have the ability to save themselves.
Look at them. In every one where we have identified impossibility, they now become possible because their inability is now blended with the supernatural ability of God.
The human inability to bear a child in Mary’s life becomes possible because of the over shadowing power of the Holy Ghost. God’s supernatural ability blends with her inability and she now conceives.
Elizabeth barren and in old age and unable to bear children is now merged with the supernatural graces of God and she now finds herself in the 6 month of her term.
And the salvation of man, that humanly we cannot save ourselves, now becomes a reality because the divine ability of God to send His son into he world to die for the sins of the world. And not only to die, but also to rise on the third day to prove He has power to forgive sins and to redeem us from the curse of sin. Now it becomes possible for us to know that we can be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
In everyone these situations there is no impossibility that God is facing. Can I say it this way, GOD KNOWS NO IMPOSSIBILITIES. For God all things are possible. There should be no question posed here this morning as the ability of God.
He who took nothing and made everything.
He who demonstrated his arm of power throughout the word of God.
Clearly the verdict is in that "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think of. " That though these things may beyond human reach they have never been beyond the reach of God.
The impossibility is not with God.
The impossibility rests within the limitations of us.
Our human abilities are now faced with the impossibilities of life.
God is not facing any impossibility. God did not stand and say I want to send my son, but I need someone to make it happen. God did not need Mary, but Mary needed God. God did not need Elizabeth, but she needed God. God did not need man to make this plan work. But man was desperately in need of God to make things happen. It’s not God’s impossibility it’s man’s impossibility. It’s we who find ourselves in need of merging our inability with God’s divine abilities so that things that we see an impossible can become possible with God.
Whenever man’s inability becomes merged with God’s divine ability, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Apart from God I can’t do anything. I’m faced with hundred of limitations, but the moment that God steps into the scene and I become merged with Him, there’s not a thing on this earth that is impossibility in my life. I hope you believe this because it’s the word. My inability when it becomes merged with God’s divine inability makes a new statement.
It makes the statement that anything can happen now.
GOD IS HERE AND ANYTHIN CAN HAPPEN!!!!
When Christ is merged with human inability there is no limit to what can take place. That is why the devil works so hard to keep man separated from God. He knows apart from God, he is the dominating entity in our life. We don’t have power apart from God. We don’t have power over the power of the devil. Apart from God we’re slaves to sin. We’re slaves temptation. We’re slaves to passion. Without God we become inferior. That’s what sin did, it caused man to stumble. He was given domination but when sin entered it he stumbled. And apart from God he would not have dominion over Satan again. Only with God do we have authority over all the powers of the enemy. Only with God do we have authority over our advisory. But apart from God, we are some what driven with every whim of the advisary.
Think of your life apart from God. You were out of control. You were driven with passions. You found yourself not wanting to live that life. But you were driven by evil. You were a servant to sin. You were addicted to the things of this world. And you could not redeem yourself. But one day your path crossed with the divine ability of God. And that ability of reached down and kissed your soul. And when God’s ability became merged with your inability. He said sin never has dominion over you. You’re no longer a servant of sin. You’re no longer bound by sin. You’re no longer under the control of the devil.
“Behold I give you all power over heaven and earth, and you’ll tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.”
The devil doesn’t fear an unbeliever. They have no authority over him.
ILLUST: 7 Sons of Sceva who though they had found a recipe that would work. They were stripped naked and sent running, all the while the devil saying “Jesus I Know and Paul I Know, but who are you? You’re not on our fear list. The only people we fear are the ones who have merged their human inability with the divine ability of God. Those are the people we fear.
That’s why the words declare in Acts 17 that when these believers after been filled on the day of Pentecost making their way through Asia Minor and reaching throughout the land. In Acts 17 they make this declaration "These that have turned the world upside down are coming hither also."
Read through that book of acts and you’ll find out that they fear the men and woman of God who have their lives merged with the divine ability of God. The devil doesn’t fear the world he fears the church, because he knows what can happen when a believer begins to get in contact with the ability of God. His kingdom is in trouble.
Paul made the declaration "I can do all things, not some of the things. All things through Christ who strengthens me.
So what is he key to merging our inability with the divine ability of almighty God.
In both Luke 1:37 an 18:27 there is one word that is tucked away in both of those verses that is the key to what I’m talking to you about this morning. One simple word. You’ll find it in Matt 19:26, Mark 10:38. One word. It’s not an impressive word, but if you’ll listen to me this morning you will learn the significance in how to merge your inabilities with the divine ability with God. Because the key word that is found in all 4 passages of scripture is that 4-letter word WITH. Not apart from God, but WITH God.
When you go back to the original Greek you will discover their are three different ways that they use this word with. And when you go back you’ll find the greater implication and significance. Let me give you the first two and then I’ll give you the one that is most applicable.
1. With = Meta. Someone who is in the proximity of or the vacinity of.
Let me show you how it would be used in a sentence. They would use this particular translation to say, "The Crowd was with him." We know that it’s not talking about some kind of union relationship. It just means that they were in the proximity of, they were in the vicinity of where Jesus was. So when it say’s that Jesus went to the sea of Galilee and the crowd followed with him. It didn’t mean that the crowd was in relationship with him, it just meant that the crowd was nearby.
2. With = Para. To be next to or near or beside.
It means a little closer but it still doesn’t imply relationship. When you look at this word Para it implies they were close to Him physically, but not necessarily in relationship. Let me give a sentence that will help you understand. "They said of Jesus that he sits down and eats with the publicans and sinners. It doesn’t mean that he had an in-depth relationship with them. It just means that he was in close proximity around he table with them.
3. When we look at Luke 1:37 or Luke 18:27 neither do the words meta, proximity or para, close to, were used. But when we get to Luke 1:37 or 18:27 they use the Sun or Soon and it has a different meaning. It means to have a union with or a companion relationship with. It doesn’t mean to be in proximity of. It doesn’t mean to be sitting at a table near by. It means that there is something deeper that occurs between the to entities.
And when Luke 1:37 says, "With God nothing is impossible." It’s not saying just in the vacinity of God nothing is impossible. It’s not saying, "Just because you sit down at the table nothing shall be impossible. It’s saying to those who have entered into a union, into a companion relationship, something deeper that ties them together. For those who have union, that have found their completeness in Christ, it’s says to them "With God Nothing shall be impossible."
And in Luke 18:27 it doesn’t say if your in the vacinity of God you can be saved, or if you sit down to eat with the Lord you can be saved. It say’s the only way that you can get into heaven, it’s not by being in close proximity or by sitting at the table, but by having a relationship with Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God.
Let me help you this morning where we need to understand that for God nothing is impossible. But with God nothing is impossible also. This doesn’t apply to the person that’s in the world. Who might drive up and down Lufkin and their in the proximity of this service this morning. And it doesn’t apply to those who may have come in to sit down around the table. Just because you’re sitting at the masters table doesn’t mean that you can say, “With God nothing shall be impossible for me.” Here’s what it’s saying:
You have to be more than just passing by
You have to do more than just sit at the master’s table
You have got to move deeper into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Those who are in union with him, those who have a relationship with him, those who human inability now becomes blended with the divine ability of God, to them it can be declared "nothing shall be impossible."
Mary didn’t conceive cause she was in the proximity of God. Mary didn’t conceive by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost cause she went to the synagogue and temple to hear the scripture read. Mary conceived because there was a blending and overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, a level of intimacy, union, agreement, in which the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost will cause here to conceive.
And Elisabeth is now going to bear a child because of this miraculous work of almighty God.
And men and woman are finding their way into the kingdom of God, not because they’re near the church, or go to church, but because they have come to Christ and have invited him into their life and heart and he’s taken up residence by the presence of the Holy Ghost. And he is with them and they are with him and they have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The word that we find the meaning companionship also embraces another term in which we call completeness. You must understand that the scripture is saying that if we are going to be with God we are not only going to have a companion relationship with him, but we must understand that we are never complete apart from him. We only are complete, when we are with God. When we are in a relationship with God. The moment that a person backslides and falls out of fellowship with God they become incomplete. Empty, searching for fulfillment for the long of their soul. But not until they return to an old fashioned altar and invite Jesus be Lord of their life again, can they rise up from an altar and say I can feel good again cause I am complete in God.
The reason the world is sick and empty is because God has marked our soul with His fingerprint and the only thing that will fill the emptiness of our soul is the finger of God himself. No alcohol drugs, riches, pleasures, entertainment can satisfy our lives. It takes God’s hand to reach back into the soul of man and for him to come into our heart. Then and only then will we ever find fulfillment and pleasure in Christ and Christ alone.
Colossians 2:10 "We are complete in Him" There is no completeness or fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ.
John 15:1-16 Jesus describes what it means to be in Him or with him where you not only find companionship but also completeness. "I am the vine you are the branches." And in the closing words of verse 5 he talks about how when the vine is separated from the branch then the branch has no ability to produce fruity. For He concludes verse 5 by saying "Without me you (not with me) you can nothing." Apart from Him everything becomes impossible, but with him.
(V5) I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”
If you’re not abiding in the vine you got impossibilities in your life. But if you’re abiding in the vine, all your impossibilities become possibilities with God. Except you abide in the vine you cannot do anything.
How do we abide? He says in verse 6 and 7. “If you abide in me.” He’s already told us unless the branch and the vine are connected we can do nothing. But notice (6) you must make the decision to attach yourself to him. You must abide in Him. Nothing’s working, nothings happening.
If we can just get back to the vine
"If you abide in Him and the words abide in you." You must attach yourself into the vine, and the way that he flows into us is through his word. But if we won’t allow his word into our life what happens. (2) "Every branch that beater not fruit he taketh away." Because they are saying they want to be attached to the vine cause I know I’m not complete, but they don’t want to bear any fruit.
See it’ s two different things. It’s one thing to say I want to stay attached to the vine. It’s another to say I want to bear fruit. And a lot of people want to stay tied into the vine cause their not fulfilled apart from God, but there’s a whole lost of folks who don’t want to let God flow through them. We’re talking about your life having impossibilities and having a God who can change the impossibilities into possibilities.
(5) "I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. (6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gatherer them, and cast them into they fire, and they are burned. (7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, (watch out here comes the turnover where our impossibilities becoming possibilities with God.)You shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
It doesn’t it say it might be done, or could be done. It shall be done.
He calls us friends, he wants us to bear fruit, and he tells us to love one another,
(16) That whatsoever ye shall ask of the father in my name, he may give it you."
He converts our impossibilities into possibilities when we’re not in the vacinity of God. When we’re not just at the table, but when we are tied into the vine and out of that vine the word is coming into us and taking up residence in our life and then he say’s once the word is in you, your going to be able to ask whatever you have need of and it shall be done unto you.
When you make an intentional decision to attach yourself to God, you get connected to God, and faith gets into the soul of man, it connects man’s inability and links it to Gods divine ability and it say’s my God can do anything. And He say’s when you have that kind of faith when you believe "All things are possible to them that believe." And if you ask anything in my name I will do it." But it’s connected to relationship.
Mark 3:14 "And He ordained 12, that they should be WITH him, Companionship, Completeness and tied into relationship with me.
Notice what he wanted to have happen when they are with him.
"That he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:"
He said I want you with me in relationship so I can send you out and when I send you out the impossibilities of your life become possible with God.
The great commission was an impossible task. "And Lo I am with you." Your human inability’s are going to be accompanied by my divine ability and that is going to give the possibility of accomplishing the impossible and that is to preach this gospel to every creature. And if you don’t believe me you can go to Mark 16 and in the closing words the great commission is repeated. He talks about how they should take up serpents, and they shall not harm them. They shall drink any deadly thing, and it shall not harm them. And they shall speak in a new tongue. But go on in that verse in Mark 16:
“They did many signs and wonders and great miracles were performed because the "Lord was working WITH them."
They did everything, not because of who they were but whom they were attached to.
Human ability is not enough.
"For we are laborers together with God." That which is impossible becomes possible because we are with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:9
With God nothing shall be impossible. Without him we can’t do a thing. Without the ability of God Mary can’t conceive, Elizabeth remains barren, and nobody can get into heaven. But with God every impossibility of our life is now made into a possibility not because of us but because of him and who resides in us by the power of the Holy Ghost. With men it will be impossibility, but with God all things are possible
Nothings shall be impossible!
